The leaks that led to
Michael Flynn’s resignation are just the beginning. Obama and his loyalists in
and outside government are working to undermine Trump.

Once out of office,
ex-presidents usually fade into private life and stay out of politics. They
write memoirs, serve on corporate boards, and start charitable foundations.
George W. Bush retired to his ranch in Texas and, most recently,painted portraits of veterans wounded in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Bill Clinton was briefly thrust back into
politics during Hillary’s two failed presidential campaigns, but most of his
post-White House career consisted of flying around the world raising boatloads
of money for his family’s now-defunct charity.

There are exceptions, of
course. Jimmy Carter threw himself into international diplomacy, mediating an
agreement in 1994 to return exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power in
Haiti, and generally agitating for a Palestinian state.

Then there is Obama. Less
than a month out of office, the broad contours of Obama’s post-presidency
career are already taking shape. Obama and his loyalists, it seems, will remain
in the center of the political fray, officially and unofficially, in an
organized effort to undermine the Trump administration.

The bizarre scandal now
unfolding over the resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn is a
case in point. Flynn’s resignation was prompted by a series of coordinated and anonymous leaksfrom
current and former Obama administration officials in our domestic intelligence
agencies.

Regardless of any valid
criticism of Flynn, the leaks are part of a larger, loosely organized effort
now underway to preserve Obama’s legacy. This effort involves Obama-era
officials still inside the federal government, former Obama staffers working in
the private sector, and Obama himself.

This isn’t some conspiracy
theory. After the election, Obama indicated he intends to stay involved in the
political fray. In an email to his supporters on his last day in office, Obama
encouraged them to stay engaged, promising “I’ll be right there with you every
step of the way.” Less than two weeks later, he issued a statement saying he
was “heartened” by anti-Trump protests over the executive order on immigration.

Obama Is Jumping Back Into
The Political Fray

But there’s more to all
this than Obama issuing solidarity statements to Trump protestors. For one
thing, the former president isn’t moving back to Chicago. The Obama family will
remain in Washington DC, within a couple miles of the White House, for the next
two years as Obama’s youngest daughter finishes high school.

From there, Obama will help
direct his new foundation, which he has said will be a “startup for
citizenship.” That could mean a lot things, but in light of his other plans it
suggests the Obama Foundation will be a political grassroots organization
designed to mobilize progressive activists.

Obama has also announced
he’ll be working with former Attorney General Eric Holder on a political action
group called the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Its goal is to
get Democrats elected at the state and local level ahead of the next redrawing
of congressional districts. Last month,Obama reportedly met withSenate
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Virginia
Gov. Terry McAuliffe to strategize about redistricting.

In addition to these
pursuits, the former president will likely play a prominent role in a network
of progressive nonprofits, most notably Organizing for Action, the political
group that grew out of Obama’s first campaign. OFA has kept a low profile in
recent years, and if Clinton had won it likely would have shut down.

But last week, OFA officials
told NBC News the organization was ramping up operations nationwidein
an effort to preserve Obama’s signature achievements like the Affordable Care
Act. As part of that effort, the group recently hired 14 field organizers in
key states, adding to a growing infrastructure that boasts more than 250
offices nationwide and more than 32,000 volunteers.

Former Obama
Staffers Are Speaking Out

Obama of course isn’t alone
in all this. Trump’s victory has mobilized his top aides and staffers to take
action, too. Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietortold the Daily Beastthat,
had Clinton won, “I would have been inclined to feel comfortable that Obama’s
legacy and the things we worked on were safe.”

Instead, Vietor, along with
former Obama administration staffers Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, are launching
a new podcast, Pod Save America, under their new joint media venture, Crooked
Media.

The purpose of the company
should be fairly obvious. “In the battle between Donald Trump and the media, we
are firmly on the side of the media,” Favreau told the Daily Beast, adding that
he’s not interested in “the veneer of objectivity.” “We’re always going to be
Obama guys, we’re very open and honest about that.”

Favreau has also been helping
create Obama’s new foundation, whose mission, he says, “is to get people
involved in civic life and get people engaged in politics.” Of Crooked Media,
Favreau says, “I think we would very much like to be the media company version
of that. So it’s certainly inspired by a lot of what Obama has talked about in
terms of the media over the last several months.”

A host of other former Obama
staffers have simply taken to social media to voice their opposition to Trump.
One former senior administration official told Yahoo News, “There are
more than a few of us who believe deeply in holding this administration’s feet
to the fire—especially when they offer falsehoods to the American people and
distort our record. We have an email chain going where we share impressions,
etc.”

As the leaks keep flowing
from our intelligence agencies and the tweets keep flying from former Obama
officials, keep in mind that although we haven’t heard much from Obama himself
yet, the Trump administration is going to keep feeling the disruptions of what
amounts to a shadow government.

Obama had eight years in the
White House to secure his legacy. Any efforts on his part to undermine his
successor aren’t just an affront to the principles of our democracy, they’re an
admission that he and his acolytes never put much stock in democracy to begin
with.

________________

John is a senior
correspondent for The Federalist. Follow him on Twitter.